Alice, one of the most important and original voices in the Italian music business returns after six years absense from the recording market with a live album recorded in December 2006 in Basilica di San Marco in Milan. As usual the result is very unique in its style, both for the arrangements and her vocals. She has a trio of muscisits with her: Marco Pancaldi in guitar, Alberto Tafuri in piano and keyboards and Steve Jansen (ex-Japan) in percussions. The twelve songs include her own classics as well Battiato’s Prospettiva Nevski, Camisasca’s Nomadi and songs not available on her studio albums like La cura (also my Battiato), Blue Nile’s Happiness and a song dedicated to late Giuni Russo, A cchiú bella, written by Giuni to a poem by Totó.
“People seem to cut my career in periods” she tells in an interview in Sky on March 30 “but I don’t see it that way. It’s a continuous progress, therefor the title Lungo la strada (Along the way). I do agree if my albums Capo Nord and Park Hotel are considered are change of direction but they are just part of the journey, not arrivals or departures.” She has been business for 38 years but this is her first live recording. In 1987 one was planned but she decided to create Elisir in studio after all.The concert is based on her repertoire of the past ten years or so being part of her concert tour that never ends but the concerts are far and away from each other, changing depending on the location. As this one was in a Basilica it does not included for example Per Elisa that she performs in her concert in more earthly locations.
“This album, besides being my first album live, is one stop on my journey and represants the period in my life and in my career that I feel is the strongest, most intense so far. I have reached a point were the collaboration with the musicians and the audience reaches point that I have never had before. Call it professional maturation if you want. The concert is almost spiritual experience and follows the path of my career and is centred on the themes I think are important for me and for everybody: the peace of mind, the peace in general; wars that seems to occupy more and more space in this world, in us and around us; poems; love in its all forms; the search for the sacret and holy; the search for ourselves.”
Alice hasn’t done much TV and PR for her music for almost 20 years now – save an odd participation in Sanremo 2000 – but in the 1980’s she hit it big with Per Elisa. Recently she told on TV interview: “When I went to Germany for the first time there was this limousine and flowers at the airport and I was thinking they must be waiting for someone famous and important. It turned out it was for me! The same again in my hotel: there was a chaos with fans screaming and they were there for me. It was so unreal. I don’t miss that. I dropped out of the media’s and record company’s machine willingly and fully aware of the consecuences. I have followed my own path, doing my own thing and I’m happy to see at least some people are happy to see me still here, after all these years!” Who has been to Alice’s concerts over the years knows it is almost a spiritual, mystical experience where silence is one of the main players. For this reason the concerts are kept reasonably short, to keep the intensivity. The arrangements fully support her voice, full of emotion.This album is published by her own Arecibo Edizioni Musicali, distributed again by EMI
Comments